Objective
Your mission
Install a terminal or IDE agent, create a project, give your first command, and review the changes using the diff view. Output: terminal_build.md.
You need: Cursor or Claude Code (pick one based on comfort).
Time: 30-45 minutes.
Step 1: choose your tool (2 min)
- Cursor (cursor.com) — IDE-native, fork of VS Code with AI built in. If you prefer GUIs, pick this.
- Claude Code — terminal agent by Anthropic. If you're okay with terminal, pick this.
Step 2: install and set up (10 min)
If Cursor:
- Download from cursor.com
- Install and open
- Sign in (Google or email)
- Create a new folder for your project, then File → Open Folder
If Claude Code:
- Check Node.js: run
node --version in terminal (install if missing) - Install:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code - Create a project folder:
mkdir my-project && cd my-project - Run:
claude - Sign in with your Anthropic account
Write in your file:
## Tool Installed
Tool: [Cursor / Claude Code]
Setup notes: [any issues encountered, or "smooth"]
Step 3: give your first command (5 min)
If Cursor: Open AI chat (Cmd+L on Mac, Ctrl+L on Windows). Type:
If Claude Code: In the prompt, type:
"Create a new file called index.html with a simple tip calculator. Bill amount input, tip percentage buttons (15%, 18%, 20%, 25%), people count, and live per-person totals. Inline CSS, no external dependencies. Clean, modern, mobile-first."
Watch it work. It will show you what it's creating.
Write in your file:
## First Command
[Your prompt]
Step 4: review the changes (10 min)
This is the key difference from browser builders — you see every change.
If Cursor: You'll see a diff view — old version on left, new on right. You can accept or reject individual changes.
If Claude Code: It shows files it wants to create/modify and asks for confirmation. Review each one.
Write in your file:
## Change Review
What the AI created: [list files]
Did I accept or reject any changes? [which ones and why]
What the diff looked like: [describe — was it clean? surprising? anything you didn't expect?]
Step 5: give a correction (10 min)
Ask for a specific change:
"Make the tip buttons a horizontal row of pills instead of a vertical list. Highlight the selected one in green (#10b981). Keep everything else the same."
Review the diff again. Did it make only the requested change, or did it change other things too?
Write in your file:
## Correction Given
[Your correction prompt]
## Result
What changed: [list]
What stayed the same: [confirm it didn't break other things]
The power and responsibility
Browser builders are sandboxed — worst case is a broken preview. Terminal/IDE tools run on your machine. They can create, modify, and delete files, run commands, and make git commits. Always review changes before accepting. Commit before big changes so you can revert. If the AI suggests a command you don't understand, ask it to explain before running.
Step 6: set up your safety net (3 min)
If you haven't already, initialize git in your project:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial build: tip calculator"
Now if the AI breaks something on the next change, you can revert: git checkout .
Write in your file:
## Git Safety Net
[Confirm you committed your initial build]
You asked a terminal agent for one small style change, and its diff also rewrites two other files. What should you do?
On your machine, changes are real. Review every diff, accept only what you asked for, and commit before big changes so you can revert.